Dylan, you can probably make the argument that Norman suspected Ray in the last episode. The framing of the scene in the library in episode 3, notice the Norman is the only one who says traitor. Emma realizes the revelation but can’t say it, it focuses in on Norman but then Ray speaks, taking the focus of the shot from Norman to himself. Ray is turned away from Norman & Emma with his eyes closed and says someone is relating information. Norman then captures focus back saying, “There’s a traitor” when he’s looking out of the corner of his eye in Ray direction. One of the first shots we have of Norman is planting the ropes under his bed, there’s no context so he must’ve been already setting the trap for both Ray & the audience.

Other notes:

– Love how Krone tried to emulate Isabella in the scene with Gilda. Isabella has used the move of carassing the cheek of both Emma & Krone as a show of dominance/intimidation in private with them. I took Krone doing the same with Gilda as her using it in the same way and hopefully goating a response from her.

– Dylan can take the moment between Emma & Gilda as shippy with the hand holding (especially if he’s been watching Bloom into You). But I took the scene as Gilda needing reassurance about how Emma is doing and was meant to mirror the scene with baby carol grabbing Emma’s finger in episode 3. Gilda was completely disregarded in that scene with Carol in Ep 3 and this was the time when Gilda reached out for reassurance from her friend/sister.

– Agreed with Andy that the POV shot up the stairs was to acclimate the audience for the second shot. It also gave that horror type feel to the scene that the episode needed. With the design of the house (flat white walls with dark frames, beams, and buttresses it gives off chlostrophobic feels when dimly lit. It making mundane feel menacing (a la paranormal activity), making the setting its own character. I think by taking the POV of the characters there it also brings to scale how imposing the obstacles are. No tangent but I remember visiting my elementary school for the first time since moving onto high school and then you see the scale of actually how small everything is compared to as it is after you’ve grown a bit. It adds some added suspense in the audience by seeing the world for a brief moment through the actual eyes of one of our protagonists.